Buzz
Directed by Alexander Payne, Sideways chronicles the week-long journey of two middle-aged men to Santa Barbara, California. What begins as a low-key bachelor celebration for Jack (Thomas Haden Church), who is about to wed, and his discontented writer friend Miles (Paul Giamatti), spirals into a series of romantic entanglements with two women (Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh). Their escapades unfold in a mix of humor and self-inflicted chaos. Dive into these intriguing details about the 2004 film, best enjoyed with a glass of developing wine.
1. Alexander Payne discovered the book that inspired the movie during a flight home from a film festival.
Returning from Edinburgh, where he had been promoting Election at a film festival, Payne finally had the chance to read Rex Pickett’s novel Sideways. Upon landing, he immediately rushed to a pay phone (this being 1999) to contact his agent about securing the rights. Payne later shared with Pickett that he was drawn to the novel due to its characters being “so utterly pitiful.”
2. George Clooney was interested in the role of Jack.
Payne and Clooney discussed the role, but Payne eventually lost contact with the actor. Years later, Payne cast Clooney in The Descendants.
3. Thomas Haden Church went all out during his audition.
The Wings actor was the sole candidate to fully undress for the audition. He believed others reading the nude scene did the same, only to be surprised later when he found out they hadn’t.
4. Paul Giamatti had no prior knowledge of wine.
The actor confessed to pretending to know about wine, expressing disbelief that anyone would find it important. He also revealed his initial suspicion that being cast in a leading role was a prank.
5. The actors mostly drank grape juice. (At least some of them did.)
Church stated that grape juice or non-alcoholic wine was used 95 percent of the time. However, Giamatti insisted they drank actual wine, admitting he was quite intoxicated after filming a dinner scene.
6. Miles’s preferred wine was initially different.
Payne and the producers couldn’t secure rights to use Chateau Petrus Pomerol, a rare and costly Merlot, as Miles’s favorite wine. Instead, they chose Chateau Cheval Blanc, which, ironically, is also a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
7. Maya’s wine monologue holds personal significance for Payne.
Payne and his co-writer Jim Taylor drew inspiration for the speech from a section of Pickett’s book, incorporating Payne’s own sentiments about wine. Despite this, Payne felt the speech was overpraised.
8. Church and Giamatti suffered from food poisoning.
The actors fell ill after dining at Miles’s mother’s house, with Church’s fever spiking to 104 degrees during filming.
9. Payne dismissed claims of borrowing from Little House on the Prairie.
A journalist questioned Payne about whether Miles running down the grassy hill was an intentional nod to the opening credits of Little House on the Prairie. In reality, the scene was borrowed, with permission, from a thesis film by one of Payne’s former classmates.
10. Church felt uneasy about filming an intimate scene with the director’s wife.
Sandra Oh, who portrayed Stephanie, was married to Payne during filming. Initially, Church and Oh approached the scene humorously, but Payne pushed them to increase the passion with each take. Payne and Oh divorced two years later.
11. The naked man is primarily recognized by male audiences.
M.C. Gainey played the husband of Cammi, a waitress Jack seduces, only to be chased naked by her husband. Gainey noted that while men often recognize him from the role, no woman has ever asked if he was in Sideways. Despite calling the experience “wonderful,” Gainey vowed it would be his last nude scene.
12. A scene featuring Miles accidentally hitting a dog was removed.
Despite Giamatti’s hilarious facial reactions making the scene funnier than expected, it was ultimately cut. Additional scenes of Jack frantically calling his fiancée during the trip were also deleted.
13. Payne altered the book’s ending, deeming it “too Hollywood.”
In the original book, Maya (Virginia Madsen) attends Jack’s wedding to express her newfound admiration for Miles after reading his manuscript. After multiple revisions, the Oscar-winning script concluded with Maya leaving a message on Miles’s answering machine, followed by Miles visiting her home.
14. Pinot Noir sales saw a significant boost following the film’s release.
Although Merlot sales had been decreasing long before Miles expressed his disdain for the varietal in the movie, Pinot Noir experienced a 16 percent surge in sales across U.S. grocery stores following Giamatti’s character’s enthusiastic praise.
15. The film Sideways was adapted with a Japanese cast.
Saidoweizu, set in Napa Valley, was produced with Payne’s approval but without his direct participation. Paul Giamatti declined an opportunity for a cameo appearance.
16. Payne has no interest in the book’s follow-ups.
Miles and Jack journeyed to Oregon alongside Miles’s mother in Rex Pickett’s 2011 sequel, Vertical. Pickett transformed Sandra Oh’s character into a lap dancer as a subtle nod to Payne and omitted Stephanie (Terra in the books) entirely from Vertical to avoid Payne collaborating with his ex-wife again. Pickett also released a 2015 ebook titled Sideways 3 Chile, which follows Miles on a trip to South America.
